


Getting To Know You (Tea Time)

by Kona



Series: Filling The Canvas [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Brewing Tea, Clueless My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard has the upper hand for once folks, F/F, Fluff, Happy Birthday Three Houses, Teaching The Teacher, heart to heart, introspective, tea time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25541563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kona/pseuds/Kona
Summary: Edelgard had gotten a message from the professor, delivered by Cyril that she needed her help with something and to meet in the dining hall in the evening after dinner. And when she arrived she found the woman sitting there with a pained expression on her face, sitting in front of a small fortune worth of tea and brewing equipment.“Professor?”“I need your help.”--In which Byleth was a mercenary who never learned how to brew tea.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Filling The Canvas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1482266
Comments: 5
Kudos: 144





	Getting To Know You (Tea Time)

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey, it's been a year since Three Houses came out. And I'm still stuck on it! Because it was good and I just can't quit these lovable idiots. So I finally finished another little installment to this! I had three tabs open for months about how to properly brew tea, by the way, which gave me some interesting targeted ads considering how I let my kettle do the hard work and dunk my loose leaf tea in a strainer and pray.  
> Also in an unrelated note, I'm opening writing commissions and there will be a link at the bottom to check out with info.

The Sword of the Creator was in Byleth’s hands. 

The idea made Edelgard want to laugh at the sheer impossibility of it all. The Holy Relic that her shadows had been searching for for _ages_ simply fell into Byleth Eisner’s hands. Literally dropped into her waiting palm, and began to glow with red intensity. 

This woman who seemingly appeared out of nowhere had the most powerful blade in all of creation in her hands. This person who somehow obtained the same Crest of Flames as her.

It was infuriating to think that someone simply _existed_ with it and all that had happened to her could simply have been averted if they’d just found this woman instead--

But then what would they have done to her?

The thought of her teacher, gentle and kind, being twisted into a living weapon like she had pained her. Her heart lurched at the thought of those gentle eyes growing cold and distant. Of her aiming the Sword of the Creator at her chest and striking true. 

No.

Perhaps it was best it was her who suffered. It had only sharpened her resolve, turned her justice into a weapon to wield in the face of false gods. 

She had been worried that the sword would change something in Byleth-The way she’d seen so many nobles change the moment a Relic could back up their posturing. Whose Crests were the ‘proof’ they could do as they please because the Goddess willed it. That with a weapon worthy of her might, Byleth would crush them all. 

That wasn’t the case though. Instead, she’d gotten a message from the professor, delivered by Cyril that she needed her help with something. And to meet in the dining hall in the evening after dinner. And when she arrived she found the woman sitting there with a pained expression on her face, sitting in front of a small fortune worth of tea and brewing equipment.

“Professor?”

“I need your help.” Byleth ran a hand through her hair, a frustrated grunt passing her lips, “I have no idea how to do this. And the moment everyone found out I was willing to have tea, they all _wanted_ to and-” A heavy sigh, “I just can’t seem to get it.”

It sent a (perhaps petty) thrill through Edelgard’s system to know that she was skilled at something that Byleth was not. But even with her skill, she’d often left the brewing of her tea to Hubert of late. He seemed to enjoy it, and the arrangement had allowed her to continue to work and then enjoy her tea afterwards. 

“You had tea with me for my birthday, though.” Edelgard started, sitting across from her teacher, “Who made it then?”

It was too much to expect a blush out of her professor, but the sheepish way that she averted her eyes was adorable enough. 

“...It was Hubert. He didn’t want me to accidentally poison you.”

“I’m shocked he helped considering how he’s so fond of threatening to poison _you_.” Edelgard teased. She knew the mage would never do so against her wishes, but the fact that the two most important people to her in the Monastery had worked together on that lovely birthday surprise warmed her heart. She’d have to find a way to subtly thank Hubert later.

“And since then? I know you’ve taken tea with a few of my classmates over their grades.” It was a bit of a running gag. If you were struggling in class and got a poor mark on an essay, you were invited to tea with the professor to talk about it. Only now did Edelgard realize it may have been a bit of a punishment, if the professor wasn’t confident in her brewing.

“I usually have whoever I’m with pick the tea, and then they brew it.” 

“That’s unusually devious of you, Professor.”

“I _know,_ and I can’t stand not knowing how to do something so…” Byleth looked across at her, a simple plea in her eyes, “Could you help me? I want to be able to do this.”

“Of course, my teacher.” Edelgard smiled, covering one of Byleth’s hands with her own. It was a bold move, but lately she’d started to feel bolder with her teacher. Ever since she’d been knocked flat by the woman, the pressure at her back had lessened somewhat. 

She wouldn’t say she had relaxed much, she still needed to focus her ambitions, but she was willing to feel more like a student. Even Hubert felt the same, relaxing into a student lifestyle a little more smoothly. While some of that could be laid at the feet of their comrades, the rowdy bunch that they were, the lion’s share of it belonged to Byleth.

Anything she could do to return the favor was easy in comparison to the weight that had shifted off of her shoulders.

Byleth’s relieved sigh was accompanied by her shoulders slumping beneath her coat. “Thank you, Edelgard. We only ever really drank coffee out in the field, and if we did get tea it was awful stuff.”

“It does seem to make sense that you wouldn’t have exposure to some of the finer things in life, given you’ve spent so much of your life on the road.”

Edelgard looked through the different teas assembled on the table, and right near the end of the bunch was her favorite. She knew it was a coincidence, she’d watched Byleth fumble through trying to buy an assortment of teas the other day, but it still made her heart skip a beat.

“We can start with one I’m familiar with.” Edelgard plucked the bag up and gave it a little shake, “Bergamot is my favorite, so I am intimately familiar with how to brew it.” She motioned to the kettle and cups, “We can start here. We need some water for the kettle.”

She scooped the kettle up in her hand and went back towards the kitchen. Byleth dutifully followed, so she felt free to keep talking, “We need to get some cool water. It can’t already be warm, because then you don’t know how long ago it was boiled.” She motioned to the large barrel of water in the kitchen meant for cooking and tea, and offered Byleth the kettle. “Fill it higher than you think we’ll need.”

Dutifully, Byleth poured around six cups worth into the kettle. Edelgarth motioned to the stovetop and watched as Byleth snapped her fingers to light the burner with a quick burst of fire magic. It was an impressive little trick. Edelgard must have looked surprised, because Byleth cocked her head as she placed the kettle over the flames. 

“Flints are all well and good for starting campfires in the field, but fire magic doesn’t have to rely on everything being dry. It was the only magic I knew for a long time. Hanneman has been working on expanding my knowledge a bit.”

“Impressive. We’re going to have to wait for that to come to boil, so we should get the tea ready.”

Edelgard plucked up the bag of Bergamot and brought it to her nose for a moment. She took a long inhale, taking in the citrus scent, and instantly felt herself relax. Something about tea had always calmed her. Perhaps it was just the meditative act of brewing it, or the warmth. Maybe it was the memories of taking tea with her family when she was younger. 

“Do you...is smelling the tea...part of it?” Byleth seemed embarrassed to ask, but what was shocking was the sincere tone of the question. Edelgard was glad for her years of court training, because she was sure anyone else would have laughed in her teacher’s face. 

“No, it’s not.” Edelgard took the tea from her face and opened the bag with care, “But sometimes if you aren’t sure what the blend will taste like, the leaves can give you a hint.” She offered Byleth the bag, shaking the leaves within for a moment, “What do you smell?”

Byleth took the bag gingerly, and circled it under her nose for a few moments as she sniffed. She paused, a frown on her face, “Orange? This is a fruit blend?”

“Not entirely, no. But the citrus lifts the taste.” 

Edelgard took the bag back and reached for the measuring spoon and strainer that Byleth had assembled on the table. “We’re making four cups worth, so we need to add the appropriate amount of leaves. Too many and it’s overpowering and bitter, too little and it’s weak and flavorless.” She scooped the appropriate amount of leaves into the strainer and took care to show Byleth how to make sure the strainer stayed shut.

“So you don’t just put the leaves in loose? They have to go in something?”

Edelgard chuckled, setting the strainer aside as she got the two tea cups ready, “You can, but that means you have to strain the leaves every time you pour, which can be tedious.” she let her eyes wander towards Byleth, who seemed to be singularly focused on the task at hand. “You’re taking this all very seriously, my teacher.” When Byleth blinked back at her in confusion Edelgard continued, “It’s just tea after all, no one will lose sleep over a poorly brewed pot of tea every once and awhile.”

Byleth chuckled, shaking her head, “You haven’t spoken to Ferdinand lately, it would seem.” Her expression grew a little softer, as she plucked one of the tea cups up from the table, “It’s a skill worth perfecting though. All of the students here delight in taking tea, and it seems to put everyone at ease. I want to learn how to do it well.” Her mouth twisted into something a little wry as she locked eyes with Edelgard, “Especially if I’m to continue teaching the Black Eagles, what with their _very_ high standards of decorum.”

Edelgard flushed at the well aimed jab at how the Black Eagles had initially viewed Byleth. In their defense, Byleth had seemingly dropped out of nowhere, with naught but a terrifying reputation and a disconcerting lack of teaching abilities. She’d almost seemed feral, in a way. This woman who seemed to never sleep, never tire, and ate like a monster. Edelgard could remember Hubert and Ferdinand’s rare agreement that their new teacher was...odd. 

“You know how much they all adore you now though, right?” Edelgard assured her, “You’ve grown into quite the teacher.” 

Byleth bowed her head in thanks, and fiddled with the cup in her hands, “I dislike being bad at anything I set out to do so…” she looked over at Edelgard with a grateful, if small, smile, “Thank you, Edelgard.”

Edelgard was saved from having to say anything meaningful in response by the kettle noisily announcing that the water had reached a boil. She motioned for Byleth to put the cup back down and follow her back to the stovetop. Byleth dismissed the fire magic with a quick flick of her wrist as Edelgard took the kettle by its handle back to their table along with a tea towel. 

“Place the strainer in the pot if you would please, and slide those cups closer?” Edelgard motioned with her head to what she needed and watched as Byleth quickly got what she needed ready. “Thank you. First, we’re going to pour two cups right now, to get the cups to the right temperature for when the tea is done.”

She quickly filled the two cups with ease, and then began to pour the rest of the water into the teapot, “Then we’re going to let this steep for about 4 minutes.” Once the rest of the water had been drained, she placed the kettle down on top of the tea towel so it wouldn’t burn the table and dropped the cover over the teapot. 

“Only four minutes?”

“Most teas don’t take too long to steep, though some leave their tea in for far longer than a proper brewing would suggest to make it stronger.” Edelgard tapped the small bag of tea over the label, “But of course you can always refer to the label for more information.”

Byleth nodded again, as she stared intently at the bag between them. There was a comfortable silence for a few moments before Byleth sighed. It was a heavy thing, weighed down in a way Edelgard didn’t usually attribute to her teacher. She wanted to ask what was bothering her, but Byleth beat her to the punch, picking the small bag up.

“I didn’t realize how little I knew about how the rest of the world worked until I came here.” Byleth’s voice was quiet, somber even for her. Her eyes were on the tea, but seemingly a million miles away. “I went my entire life knowing so little about the world around me. Barely knowing more than the countries I traveled between, the money they used, and the languages they spoke.”

“You’ve mentioned in the past that you didn’t have much schooling on the Church and its teachings.” Edelgard remembered the first month of fumbled prayers in their mandatory masses during the weekend, and the way Byleth would stand rigid and uncomfortable as she spoke to Seteth about faith based curriculum. She had simply assumed that Byleth didn’t care for religion as a mercenary. 

_‘Why would someone who was paid gold to kill others give a second thought to religion?’_ was her thought at first. It was a choice, Edelgard had assumed. 

But then it became clear that it was simple ignorance on the part of the mercenary turned tutor. It had always seemed strange to her that Jeralt the Blade Breaker, once a leader of the Knights of Seiros wouldn’t have taught his daughter anything about the religion he defended for years. 

“Father wasn’t much for praying, and in the company everyone was allowed to believe whatever helped them sleep better at night.” Byleth tilted her head somewhat, as if trying to find memories of _any_ childhood recollections, “But it wasn’t just the Church. Hearing about the nobility and the Crest system…” Byleth actively frowned now, her mouth turning down in a sour way, “Hearing how it ruined so many of your childhoods...I’m frustrated that I never knew about it.”

Edelgard reached out, daring to touch a gloved hand to Byleth’s arm. A weak smile crossed her own face, almost as bitter as Byleth’s. “What could a single mercenary do against the whole of the Crest system? It may have been best you grew up never knowing about your Crest. That way you could never be used for it.”

The Crest of Flames. So powerful, so potent. An impossible Crest to attain naturally, was what Edelgard had been told. Her tormentors had crooned that only _they_ could create that Crest, that Edelgard should be _honored_ to have it. Had someone found Byleth-Simple, honest Byleth and realized what her Crest really was...

“You speak from experience, I’m sure.” Byleth’s tone allowed her to back away from the answer if Edelgard wanted to. It was a small kindness that Byleth allowed all of the Black Eagles when discussing their personal lives. 

Byleth was an open book about her past-blunt about how boring it had been in spite of her exciting profession and family name. But she knew enough about the students now to know that none of them had had easy lives. 

Thankfully for Edelgard, who felt a lump growing in her throat over the thought of even _trying_ to explain a fraction of what had happened to her, the tea was done. She took her hand from Byleth’s arm and brought it to the teapot instead. She lifted the cozy and removed the strainer from inside of the pot and placed it aside on a dish.

“Could you go and empty those two cups in the bason…?” 

Byleth was up in one smooth motion, and across the dining hall to where a basin was in a flash. She dumped the water and came back just as quickly, but used a tender care to bring the tea cups back to their saucers without a sound. 

“Since we put some water in the cups before they’ll be warm for the tea and it won’t prematurely cool it.” Edelgard explained as she carefully poured the tea into the two cups. She felt a small rush of pride at the perfect color and aroma hitting her nose. She took in a long breath through her nose, savoring the smell, before exhaling on a long sigh, “It smells divine. Please, have a sip.”

She watched as Byleth carefully blew over the rim of her teacup and took a sip. Byleth closed her eyes, and Edelgard leaned forward, waiting for her appraisal. 

It was a little childish for her to want praise for something so simple as making tea. But it would seem that regardless of the task, Edelgard wanted Byleth to tell her that she excelled at the task. She had to have _something_ over the woman. The woman who took the Sword of the Creator out from under her, who made her look like an amateur in battle. 

If it had to be tea, then so be it. 

Finally, Byleth smiled, lowering her cup. She tilted her head slightly, a fond look on her face. “Delicious. I see what you mean about the flavor.” She motioned with her chin toward Edelgard's own cup of tea, unconsciously cradled between her hands. “You should have some yourself, before it gets cold.”

Edelgard took a cautious sip, and smiled as the tea’s flavor washed over her tongue. Her eyes slipped closed without a thought to savour the moment.

Perfection. 

She’d always loved tea in its many forms, a fondness she’d shared with her siblings. Her older sisters would invite her to small tea parties, giggling over knights and blissfully unaware of the danger lurking over them. It was a memory that was blissfully unstained by the horrors that followed. 

“I can tell it must be good,” Byleth murmured, as Edelgard’s eyes opened again. Her expression was soft, gentle, “By your expression, I mean.” A soft chuckle, “At least you know for sure I’m not just trying to flatter you.”

“I’ve never known you to give praise that wasn’t deserved, My Teacher,” Edelgard responded, taking another sip.

“True.” Byleth agreed, “But there’s something about you, Edelgard.” A long pause, and Edelgard’s teacup froze on it’s way down from her lips at the statement left hanging in the air.

“My Teacher…?” 

“Sorry,” Byleth shook her head, “Just something my father said. About you being my favorite.” She waved her hand, “About how I’m always praising you when we’re talking.”

_“Oh.”_

Edelgard hid her expression in her teacup, fighting a giddy sort of smile from crossing her face at the thought. Her stomach twisted pleasantly with butterflies, trying to take the whole statement in. Byleth’s _favorite._

“I don’t...favor you too much, do I?”

“Not...not that I’m aware of, My Teacher.” Edelgard managed, finally. “You’ve always been very adept at making sure all of the Black Eagles get the correct amount of praise. I promise.”

Byleth nodded, taking a sip of her tea, “Thank you, I was worried about that.”

“You know, Byleth,” Edelgard forced herself to be bold now, to surge with a sudden burst of confidence, “You can confide in your worries with me, if you like. We could have tea and speak about whatever is troubling us.”

It was a long moment of Edelgard feeling a growing panic at overstepping her bounds before a true smile crossed Byleth’s face. 

Soft and sincere, it warmed Edelgard’s heart to see. The tingles of warmth that spread through her body had nothing to do with the tea, and that was wonderful. 

“I would like that very much, Edelgard.”

Edelgard beamed at Byleth, dropping any pretence of propriety, “Wonderful. I look forward to it, My Teacher.” She motioned to the teapot, “Shall we finish this pot first though?”

Byleth chuckled, wrapping her hands around the handle, “Yes, let’s.”

And though it was close to curfew they were left alone to enjoy the rest of the pot without interruption, in a hazy sunset conversation, whispering and laughing as if the world didn’t exist. 

And for them, then, it did not. 

And Edelgard was grateful for it. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm opening commissions for Fics and I promise when I have a deadline I actually write fast, so if you've ever wanted something by me, have a look at my info page!  
> [Commission Info Here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12VSIN3tafbY7yUZf234r9CZVjXadTdhyjoatZlJo6n8/edit?usp=sharing%20rel=)  
> 


End file.
